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What I suspect in the other guy tells more about me
by Journeyman Nobody told us these things, at least not soon enough, but there are a handful of dependable 'maxims' or observations on how human beings think and behave. Here's one. What I suspect in the other guy is what I'd do if I could. Put another way, "a man does not think to look behind the door if he has not stood there himself." Let's try on a few examples: Former Russian president Putin recently said that the conflict in Georgia was "orchestrated by the US to benefit a presidential candidate." He claimed that the Republican party needed a foreign policy "victory", and claimed to have thwarted this American plot. Translation? The unrest in the rebel provinces and the invasion of Georgia was more likely orchestrated by Putin for the benefit of a Russian presidential candidate. The accusation rebounds on the accuser. This is certainly more credible, by the way. The last thing the US wants or needs is another foreign imbroglio. Obviously the Bush administration has handled the Georgia matter with kid gloves, far from stirring the pot. Here's another. Obama is sometimes accused of being a closet socialist, of deceiving the public with a false or unstated agenda. Translation? Simply this: the accuser, or his "team" whatever that means, will be found to be equally involved in covert agendas and untrustworthy dealings. The Bush administration itself is rife with this very same kind of "lawyering", using craftiness to evade the intent of the law, bait-and-switch policies. The Republican "brand" has lost its gloss, because while this party ran the government, it forfeited its conservative identity of small and competent government, integrity and personal responsibility., Tricks, falsehoods and unstated agendas are at the heart of the fall of Republicanism. So is Obama a crypto-socialist? Probably not. The accusation means the accuser is probably hiding something. Obama is more likely a Clinton-style Democrat. Knowing what we know about "the swing of the pendulum", there are worse things. The accusation of "covert agenda" sticks better to the Republicans right now... to the dismay of many people who consider themselves conservative. You would expect conservative leaders to uphold integrity above all else. Yet there were so many lapses, which are now public knowledge... the Plame monkey-business; senators found on the customer list of escort services. Duke Cunningham, a former military hero, sunk to the level of taking bribes. The Attorney General of the US, using his position to hire and fire judges for political purposes, and whose own attorneys now admit he negligently and unlawfully kept classified NSA documents in an unlocked briefcase. The top prosecutor of the US, breaking the law and violating security, leaving intelligence documents in an unsecured location! Can we begin to see in this how the accuser is up to his eyeballs in it? For the benefit of those who perceive deceit, denial and false premises in everyone else... it's time to check yourself. What you're seeing is what you expect to see. What you're seeing is what your mind is tuned to. Basically, it's yourself seen on the outside. This must be Providence's way of speaking difficult truths to all of us, because we are a stubborn and proud species, and we think we have "reasons" for our faults. It is nothing but our own weakness that we make ourselves feel better by comparing our faults to others, and are so pleased and satisfied when we can point to the other guy. We have met the enemy and he is us. --Walt Kelly, "Pogo" __NOEDITSECTION__ Category: Opinions Category: Opinions by User Journeyman Category: September 2, 2008 Category: September 2008 Category: Opinions From The Opinion Wiki, a Wikia wiki. From The Opinion Wiki, a Wikia wiki.